Kelp, climate, ocean acidity projects funded in Maine

Feb. 19, 2018

BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) — The University of Maine says projects about seaweed, the acidity of Gulf of Maine waters and the way climate change is impacting fish will receive nearly $1 million in funding.

The university says the funds are being awarded to faculty at UMaine and other institutions through the Maine Sea Grant College Program. The money is from the federal government and matching sources.

One of the projects is an investigation into the role of rockweed in food webs. Another will seek to learn how kelp forests are responding to changing environments.

UMaine says researchers will evaluate the acidity of the Gulf of Maine using current data and historical proxies. The final project will seek to find out how environmental factors such as climate change impact fish and invertebrates in coastal Maine.